Wednesday, February 14, 2018

Good morning and Happy Hump Day! If it's Wednesday, then it must be time for more flash fiction from the Wednesday Briefers! We're a group of authors who bring you our finest flash fiction every week, 500 to 1000 words, inspired by one of our prompts.

Things were looking grim for Dustin and Denver until Roy rode to the rescue in last week's chapter of The Sheriff. See how he deals with the situation of Rusty and Lenny, and everyone wonders where Jordan is. Is Dustin going to be in danger after this? Don't forget to visit the other Briefers and see what they've been up to. Their links follow my tale. Enjoy!

The Sheriff #50 (12.2)

Roy was prepared to carry through with his threat, if
necessary, in order to protect Dustin and Denver—his lover and his friend. But
luckily it didn’t come to that. When push came to shove, the thin man proved
himself to be all bark and no bite as he hastily threw his gun onto the floor
with a clatter and raised his hands high, in the universal symbol of surrender.

“Now you,” Roy said to his accomplice as he drew closer to
the pair.

The heavier man whimpered, “I don’t have a gun. I swear it.
I’m only supposed to carry the merchandise. That’s all. Ask Rusty if you don’t
believe me.”

Keeping a wary eye on the pair, Roy hurried to where Dustin
and his cousin were getting up from the floor.

“You okay?” he asked Dustin, sliding his arm around him and
pulling him close.

“Yeah, Roy, I’m just fine, thanks to you.”

“Well, I’ll be damned.” Denver grinned at the two of them. “How
long has this been going on?”

“First things first,” Roy said, never batting an eye. “Then
we’ll tell you all about it.”

At just that moment, Harlan and a couple of his deputies
swarmed through the back door, guns raised. Seeing the situation under control,
they holstered their weapons.

“This all of them?” Harlan asked.

“There’s one more,”
Roy said, keeping Dustin anchored to him with his arm as he turned to face the
sheriff. “That Jordan asshole. He didn’t come in with them, and I didn’t see
him in the car when I passed it by on my way in.”

“Shit,” Harlan swore. “I thought he was supposed to be
here?” He looked to Dustin for corroboration.

“I thought so too. He said he would be. I’m sure Rusty and Lenny know where he is,
though. They’re his stooges.”

“I don’t know nothing,” Rusty quickly said. “And neither
does Lenny.”

Roy snorted. “Tell me something I don’t know.

”

Rusty scowled but made no reply. By this time, he and Lenny
had already been securely cuffed, hands behind their backs.

“I’ll take these two back to the jail and put out on APB on
Lambourne. I’ll send a car to his address, just on the off chance he might be
there.”

“At least I’m not sleeping with him,” Lenny shot back. The
deputy slapped him upside his head and he fell silent.

“Go on, take those two peckerheads in,” Harlan said. “I’ll
be right behind you.” He turned his
attention to Dustin and Denver. “They didn’t hurt you, did they?”

“No, they never got that far,” Denver said. “Thanks to you
and Roy here. You sure saved our bacon.”

“Thank Roy and Dustin. They’re the ones who helped put this
together,” Harlan said. “Well, I gotta get going. Roy, I’ll be in touch. I’ll
see what I can get out of those two. Assuming they don’t lawyer up. I don’t
think they have the brains to do that, but you never know.”

“Okay, catch you later, Harlan.”

“Dustin, if you like, we can talk about you joining the
department.” Harlan winked, then turned and headed out the back of the store.

“Somebody better tell me what’s going on and damn quickly,”
Denver said. He put his hands on his hips and looked from Dustin to Roy
expectantly.

“Tell you what,” Roy said, “you lock up the store, and then
we’ll go grab a drink or something, and tell you everything. That okay with
you, Dustin?”

“Sounds great to me. What about you, cuz?”

“Yeah, let me finish writing out the night deposit and I’ll
be ready.” He headed toward the back office, leaving Roy and Dustin alone. No
sooner had he closed the door to the office, than Roy had his lips pressed
against Dustin’s, holding him tight, as if he intended to never let him go
again.

Wednesday, February 7, 2018

Good morning and Happy Hump Day! If it's Wednesday, then it must be time for more flash fiction from the Wednesday Briefers! We're a group of authors who bring you our finest flash fiction every week, 500 to 1000 words, inspired by one of our prompts.

It seems to Dustin that things aren't going as planned. Why is Rusty waving a gun around? And where the hell is Jordan? Will they make it out of here alive? See what happens in this week's chapter of The Sheriff. Don't forget to visit the other Briefers and see what they are up to. Their links follow my tale! Enjoy!

The Sheriff #49 (12.1)

What the hell was going on here? This wasn’t supposed to
happen this way. And where was that asshole Jordan?

Rusty pushed Dustin ahead of him, into the store, Lenny
following, like the lemming he was.

“What the hell do you guys want?” Denver asked defiantly.
“You have no business being in here. Get out before we call the cops.”

“Yeah, right,” Rusty scoffed. “You and what army?” He waved
the gun in the air, as if to emphasize the point that he was in control of the
situation. “Now, here’s what I want you guys to do…”

Dustin watched his cousin worriedly. Please don’t let him do anything rash. Although he had a sinking
feeling about the situation, he could be wrong. This might not be what he
thought it was. Considering it was these two idiots, the lack of a mask might
just go to show how stupid they really were.

Denver took a step toward the two men. Rusty aimed the
pistol directly at him, and he froze in place.

“That’s better.” Rusty chuckled.

“Now, let me tell you what you’re gonna do,” he continued,
his attention focused on Denver. “We’re
going to go into the back room and I’m going to tell you what to put in my
car.” Here he turned toward Dustin. “And you go get that game Jordan wanted. He
said you’d know which one. Then come help us load the car.”

Dustin could hardly bear to look at his cousin. He saw a
look of disbelief there, as well as dismay.

“Tell me this isn’t what it looks like, Dustin,” Denver
said.

Dustin couldn’t exactly blurt out the truth, that Roy and
the sheriff’s department of Tucker Falls was waiting to ambush these guys. But
he could give him a little bit of it, maybe take away the hurt he saw.

“This wasn’t my idea." He glared at Rusty, who only laughed
again.

“The only idea this guy has is sucking Jordan’s cock.”

Dustin winced. “Not with someone else’s mouth,” he said.

“That’s not that guy who was in here before, is it?” Denver
frowned. “I thought you said you were through with him?”

“I am. Forever,” Dustin said.

Denver moved closer to Dustin, eyeing Rusty and Lenny.
Dustin wanted to jump Rusty and wrestle that gun away from him. He had a
feeling Lenny wasn’t armed. But he didn’t want to chance Denver getting hurt.

“You’re such an asshole,” he said to Rusty. “I bet you don’t
even know how to shoot that thing. You’re just bluffing.”

As if to prove him wrong, Rusty aimed the gun toward a row
of shelves and fired. The bullet clanged loudly as it ricocheted off the metal.
Luckily, it didn’t bounce back toward them.

A small smile crept onto Dustin’s face. He’d hoped Rusty
would be stupid enough to shoot, praying he wouldn’t aim it at anyone. That
would be a signal to Roy, though, and he knew damn well what would happen.

“What are you grinning about?” Rusty asked. “Nothing funny
here.”

“Just you two,” Dustin countered.

“Keep it up, laughing boy. Keep it up. Jordan said if you
gave us any trouble, I could hurt you. Maybe even kill you. I’ll tell him you
wouldn’t cooperate after all.” Rusty’s grin was decidedly unpleasant. “You
fucked up when you dropped him for your new boyfriend. Jordan likes to call the
shots, not the other way around.”

Dustin started to tell him how little he cared, just as he
heard the creak of the back door. If he was correct, that had to be Roy, if not
the sheriff’s department too.

“Where is Jordan?” Dustin asked. “Was he too scared to
come?”

“He’s waiting for us,” Rusty said. “Told us we could handle
this.”

“Is that because he knew you were going to be caught? Nice
boss you have.”

“Watch your mouth,” Lenny warned him. “Shut up about
Jordan.”

“Not like I want to talk about that little asshole anyway,”
Dustin countered. “And I do mean little.”

He wiggled his little finger in the
air and laughed.

Just as an enraged Rusty drew his gun, Dustin threw himself
sideways, throwing both himself and Denver to the floor. He protected Denver
with his own body and waited. He could hear the flick of the hammer being drawn
back and braced himself for impact.

Just then the most beautiful voice in the world yelled, “Put
the gun down, asshole. We have this building surrounded. It’s all over.”

Wednesday, January 31, 2018

Good morning and Happy Hump Day! If it's Wednesday, then it must be time for more flash fiction from the Wednesday Briefers! We're a group of authors who bring you our finest flash fiction every week, 500 to 1000 words, inspired by one of our prompts.

The time has almost come, but will everything work out all right? Will they catch Jordan and put him away where he can't harm anyone ever again? Find out in this week's chapter of The Sheriff. Don't forget to visit the other Briefers and see what's up with them. Their links follow my tale! Enjoy!

The Sheriff #48 (11.6)

The evening threatened to last forever, at least from Roy’s
point of view. For the past few hours, customers had come and gone in decent,
not overwhelming, numbers. From his vantage point, Roy could see them all. He
had a bird’s eye view of both the front and back lots. He’d almost gone
barreling into the store when he saw Jordan appear out of nowhere and swagger
cockily toward the front door. He clenched his fists and forced himself to take
a breath. Too soon. If he went in now, he’d most likely ruin everything. The
bastard was just probably trying to rattle Dustin’s cage. If Roy found out that
was the case, he’d make the little asshole pay for his behavior.

Why hadn’t he thought to get Dustin’s phone number? He could
kick himself for his oversight. As soon as he could, though, he’d rectify his
mistake. After only a few minutes, he watched as Jordan stormed out of the
store, looking less than pleased. Dustin must have said or done something to
piss him off. Good for Dustin. Roy relaxed a little when he saw Jordan get into
his car and peel angrily off the lot and out of sight.

He wondered what time Denver got off. What if he worked
until closing too? Would that change anything? He hadn’t thought to ask Dustin
about possible co-workers, and now it was a moot point. Roy shifted in the
truck seat. He knew Harlan was somewhere in the vicinity, lying low and out of
sight until Roy gave him the signal. He’d have a deputy with him, too. Between
the three of them, they should be more than able to handle a punk like Jordan.

Closing time was fast approaching, and still no sign that
Denver intended to leave. He watched as Dustin drew the sign on the front door
around to read Closed. A few minutes
later, a car drew up. A tall thin man got out, approached the door and began to
pound on it. Roy tensed automatically.

What the fuck?
This wasn’t Jordan, and this wasn’t the back door. What was going on? Roy set
his hand on the gun at his hip, growling deep in his throat as Dustin opened the
door and stuck his head out. The two men exchanged a few words that Roy couldn’t
hear, before Dustin closed the door once more and the stranger returned to his
vehicle. But he didn’t leave. Instead, he drove around to the back of the
building.

This must be it.

He watched the car as it parked near the back door and two
men got out, the skinny one from earlier, and a heavier guy. Neither of them
was Jordan, though. Where was he?

Denver opened the back door. Something flashed in the skinny
man’s hand, just before he pushed Denver back and muscled his way inside,
followed by his cohort. The door closed behind them with a bang.

Why the gun? They had a guy on the inside, so why bother
with a weapon? Was that to make it look good in case someone else was with Dustin?
Make the robbery appear legitimate? Roy didn’t think Jordan would be that
considerate.

He wasn’t going to wait and find out, either. He eased
quietly out of the truck and pulled out his phone, even as he cautiously
approached the back of the store, crossing the darkened back lot.

“Harlan, it’s
me,” he said. “Two men just went inside the store from the back, and one has a
gun. We need to get in there. Now.”

“Copy that,” Harlan said. “On my way. Hang tight until I get
there.”

Keeping to the shadows, Roy skirted the robbers’ car and
drew his weapon, waiting against the silent building. As soon as they started
hefting the merchandise out the door, he’d take them unawares. Harland would be
there by then.

A shot rang out, breaking the stillness of the night.
Without hesitation, Roy reached for the door, but it was locked. He shot into
the lock and kicked it open before he burst inside.

Wednesday, January 24, 2018

Good morning and Happy Hump Day! If it's Wednesday, then it must be time for more flash fiction from the Wednesday Briefers! We're a group of authors who bring you our finest flash fiction every week, 500 to 1000 words, inspired by one of our prompts.

Dustin is nervous about what's going to happen, and anxious to get it over with. He has to make sure his cousin isn't around, so he can't get hurt. Jordan showing up unexpectedly has thrown him for a loop. Find out what's going on in this week's episode of The Sheriff. Don't forget to visit the other Briefers and see what they're up to. Their links follow my tale. Enjoy!

The Sheriff #47 (11.5)

Dustin wished he’d thought to get Roy’s phone number. Then
he could at least text him. That would be some measure of comfort. Once they
got through this, he’d ask for the number. Assuming Roy still wanted to see
him, of course. First things first. Get rid of Jordan. Put him where he
couldn’t hurt anyone ever again. Then think about the future.

He thought midnight would never arrive, but of course it
did. He gratefully turned the key in the lock and turned the sign to Closed. Now to make sure Denver was gone
before Jordan and his trained monkeys arrived.

“You got plans?” he asked his cousin as he strolled as
casually back to the counter as he could.

“Yeah. I have a date. With my bed.” Denver laughed. “I was
thinking about going to Partners, but I’m too tired, I think.” He yawned
widely.

“There’s always tomorrow.”

“That there is,” Denver agreed. “You got anything going on?
Or are you coming back to the apartment and get some sleep for a change?”

“I dunno,” Dustin said vaguely. He hated to lie to his cousin,
but he couldn’t exactly tell him the truth, for obvious reasons. “I’m supposed
to see someone. We’ll see how that works out.”

“Oh yeah. The sexy guy.” Denver grinned. “Guess he couldn’t
wait to see you, the way he was acting.”

“You could say that,” Dustin replied vaguely.

“Maybe next time you can introduce us.” Denver yawned again.
He pushed a few keys on the cash register. When it opened, he removed most of
the cash.

Dustin glanced nervously at the clock. “Why don’t you go on
and get some sleep? I can finish up here and lock up. Not much to do tonight,
is there?” Dustin didn’t work until close very often, but he figured there
wasn’t much involved.

“I would, but I still gotta do the night deposit, so I can
drop that off on the way home. You don’t have to wait, if you have plans.”

Shit, how long would that take? “No, I’m good.” Dustin
followed Denver into the back room. “I’ll hang out with you until you’re
ready.”

“Thanks, man. I appreciate the company.”

Denver flopped into a swivel chair behind the desk, and
Dustin grabbed a chair on the other side. He decided not to engage in
conversation that might distract his cousin. And he didn’t want to think about
what was going to happen. His thoughts turned to Roy, instead, of their own
volition. Remembering the feel of Roy’s hands along his body, his lips on
Dustin’s...

Bam, bam, bam!

Dustin was shocked out of his reverie by the sound of
someone banging on the front door.

Shit, just what he’d feared. Jordan was getting impatient
because Dustin was taking longer than expected. He started to rise, throwing an
apprehensive glance toward his cousin.

“They’ll go away soon, don’t worry about it,” Denver said.

“I’ll just make sure,” Dustin said. Not waiting for a
response, he left the office, heading for the front door. He spied a dark
silhouette which seemed to be peering into the store. As he drew closer, Dustin
realized it wasn’t Jordan, as he’d expected.

He unlocked the door and poked his head out, to make sure he
couldn’t be heard inside, even though he knew Denver was back in the office,
far out of earshot. “Quit banging on the door, Rusty!” he snapped. “Whaddya
want?”

“I want to know what the hold-up is,” Rusty snarled. “You’re
supposed to let us in that back door. Remember, buddy boy? I want to make sure
you’re not double crossing us or anything.”

“Denver’s almost ready to leave. Hold your horses,” Dustin
retorted. “Get your ass away from here, and try not to lose what little mind
you have.” Dustin closed the door between them, cutting off whatever scathing
remark Rusty had been about to make. Without thinking, he flipped the other man
off. Let him chew on that awhile. He hurried back to the office. Denver was
zipping up a bag emblazoned with the store’s logo.

“Guess not,” Dustin said, adding in a burst of honesty,
“He’s not really my friend. I broke up with him ‘cause he’s an asshole.”

“Really?” Denver gave him an enigmatic look. “I’m not sure
he got the memo, dude.”

“He’s like that,” Dustin muttered. “He’ll get over it. You
all ready to go?” He was racking his brain, trying to think of an excuse to stay
behind so he could let numbnuts in, so Roy could catch him and arrest him. So
far, he hadn’t thought of a thing.

“Yeah, all ready.” Denver stood, even as Dustin began to
breathe again. Almost over… almost over…

At the sound of more pounding, his heart skipped a beat in
surprise. This was not coming from the front door.

“What the hell? Who’s trying to get in the back door at this
time of night?” Denver sounded angry.

“I’ll take care of it, you don’t have to…” Dustin might have
saved his breath. Denver was already striding toward the back door and was
throwing it up before Dustin could stop him.

Through the open door, Dustin saw Rusty and Lenny. They
hadn’t bothered to wear masks, a fact which at first Dustin found annoying. But
as the implications began to sink into his brain, he realized the only reason
why they weren’t afraid of being seen.

In Rusty’s hand, a big black pistol gleamed. “Evening, guys.
Sorry to interrupt your night but this here’s a stick up. Now don’t do anything
stupid or I’ll shoot you both.”

Wednesday, January 17, 2018

Good morning and Happy Hump Day! If it's Wednesday, then it must be time for more flash fiction from the Wednesday Briefers! We're a group of authors who bring you our finest flash fiction every week, 500 to 1000 words, inspired by one of our prompts.

As you may have noticed from the title of this week's tale, I have taken a brief break from my usual story because I was inspired to write something else based on one of our weekly prompts. The prompt in question was "Where you going, nature boy?" I've been watching Lost lately, inspired by my daughter Sarah, and this is the result. I hope you like it. The Sheriff will be back next week, never fear. Don't forget to visit the other Briefers and see what they've been up to. Their links follow my tale! Enjoy!

Run Through the Jungle

The billboard was one of the largest Hurley had ever seen,
dominating the California landscape, eclipsing even the huge letters that
spelled out Hollywood.

Wait, what was going on here? And who was the woman whose
face loomed larger than life? Did he know her?

The suspicious-looking sign with the glandular condition
began to shimmer, the woman’s face going in and out of focus, disappearing just
as recognition began to wash over Hurley. He knew he’d seen her before, and he
had a feeling he liked her. But now her image had been replaced. By numbers.
Very familiar numbers.

4. 8. 15. 16. 23. 42

The numbers danced across the screen with maniacal
intensity, fluorescing in psychedelic hues that hurt his eyes. It wasn’t until
Hurley turned to the person beside him that he realized he was seated on an
airplane, not in a fast car speeding down the Pacific Coast Highway, and he
knew what was going to happen… and he was powerless to stop it.

We’re going to crash,
we’re going to crash, we’re going to…

Hurley sat up with a start. The sun was already a flaming
orange above the horizon. Another day in paradise. And another day without
Libby, the ache in his heart where she’d been reminded him.

As if he could ever forget the one woman who had actually
looked at him like a man, not a fat freak. And what had he done but gone and
got her killed, him and his bad luck. He should have known better.

He wasn’t sure what to do with himself. Nothing felt right.
Nothing felt good. Not even the food he’d stashed in the jungle, his secret
supply for when things got bad. Now eating that just made him feel guilty. Like
Libby was judging him or something. Although she never would.

Reaching for the bottle of water he kept beside his bed, he
took a drink, rising heavily to his feet. The jungle beckoned to him. He
decided to heed its siren call.

It wasn’t until he woke for a second time that he realized
one dream had become another, and he wasn’t on the beach, in his makeshift hut.
He was in the jungle, where he’d spent the night, on his way back to let the
others know what had happened.

Oh God, they had them. The Others. And that Henry guy, the
one they’d kept down in the Hatch, was their leader. They had Jack and Kate and
Sawyer, and Hurley had no clue what was going to happen to them. They’d warned
him not to ever step foot on that side of the island ever again, and Hurley
believed they meant to hurt him if he did.

Gotta get back, get
back… warm them.

Particularly Locke. Locke would know what to do, he always
did. Hurley doubted that man knew the meaning of insecure, had never felt less
than confident. He wished he could be more like Locke.

What was that?

A horrible sound, like something crashing through the
jungle. Hurley’s mind instantly thought polar bear, and he felt his stomach
clench in horror. God, don’t let him lose it, not here or now.

Hurley cast desperate eyes about him, searching for a place
to hide. But before he could make a move in any direction, a strange figure
burst into view. Too much view, to be honest. The man was buck naked.

Hurley quickly averted his eyes, even as he recognized
Desmond. The previous inhabitant of the hatch. “Where you going, Nature Boy?”
he quipped.

“Well, brother, I’m not sure, to be honest,” Desmond
responded.

Hurley dared a glance and just as quickly looked away.
“Dude, where are your… clothes?”

“Burned off,” Desmond responded. Did that man ever sound
anything less than chipper?

“What happened?” Hurley asked in spite of himself.

“The hatch, it imploded.” Desmond made a sound that was
undoubtedly meant to represent an explosion, and when Hurley turned his
startled gaze toward the naked man, Desmond’s hands were outflung, then quickly
drew inward.

Wednesday, January 10, 2018

Good morning and Happy Hump Day! If it's Wednesday, then it must be time for more flash fiction from the Wednesday Briefers! We're a group of authors who bring you our finest flash fiction every week, 500 to 1000 words, inspired by one of our prompts.

The evening of the big event has arrived, and Roy has dropped Dustin off at work. If all goes well, they should be able to catch Jordan in the act and put him away for a long time. The question is - will all go well? See what's happening in this week's chapter of The Sheriff. Don't forget to visit the other Briefers and see what's up with them. Their links follow my tale! Enjoy!

The Sheriff #46 (11.4)

The evening both crawled and passed too quickly, although
Dustin had no idea how that worked. Probably just his nerves acting up, skewing
everything. He was grateful for Denver’s company. Apparently Kenny had called
in sick at the last minute and told Denver to take his place. He’d rather face
this ordeal with his cousin by his side than Kenny any day.

Business was relatively slow, which didn’t help with the
passage of time. Dustin volunteered to restock the shelves, and Denver said
he’d watch the register. Heading into
the backroom, he thought it seemed fuller than before. “Did we get a delivery
today?” he asked, poking his head out.

“Yeah, looks like it. Still feel like stocking?”

“Sure, no problem.” Dustin couldn’t help thinking the extra
supplies would make Jordan pleased. Except, of course, he wasn’t going to get
his hands on any of it. Not with Roy Landry on the case. Just thinking about
the sheriff brought a smile to his lips, and he was humming to himself as he
carried boxes onto the show room floor.

“Someone’s pretty happy,” Denver commented. No one was in
the store at the moment, other than them, making conversation easier.

“Maybe,” Dustin said mysteriously, raising his voice to be
heard from the aisle he stood in. “Anything wrong with a guy being happy?”

“Course not, glad to see it,” Denver replied. “And I think I
have a good idea why.”

Dustin tried not to snort. Denver couldn’t possibly know about
him and Roy. No way. Let him think what he wanted. “Why’s that, then?”

“Cause I see him walking across the parking lot now,” came
the surprise answer.

Really? Uneasiness crawled along Dustin’s spine. Why would
Roy be coming into the store? That wasn’t part of the plan. Had something gone
wrong?

He finished racking packages of cables, then walked to the
end of the aisle, trying to appear nonchalant, his heart hammering in his chest
as he glanced toward the door. The bell chimed as the man walked in, and Dustin
had to work not to let his jaw drop to the floor. That was not Roy Landry entering
the building, it was fucking Jordan. What the hell?

Jordan glanced quickly around, spotted Dustin, and made a
beeline toward him, plastering one of his winning smiles on his face. “Hello,
sexy. I was hoping you were working tonight.”

Dustin fought against the bile that threatened to rise at
the sound of Jordan’s voice. Don’t fuck this up, just go along with what
he says. Knowing Roy was somewhere close at hand and probably seeing
everything helped calm his nerves. He could do this. He would do whatever it
took to get rid of Jordan and prove himself worth of being with Roy.

“I’m right here,” he said, an equally false smile flitting
across his face. “Were you looking for something special?”

“Other than you?” Jordan laughed. “Yeah, I wanted to see if
you had a copy of a new video game. I’ve been hearing a lot about it, you know,
gotta put it to the test and see if it lives up to the hype.”

“I think I know which one you mean, I just put some out.”
Dustin walked ahead of Jordan to the aisle where the video games were located,
out of sight of the front register. He gestured toward the shelves. Jordan
ignored his motion.

“Whatever. I’ll just help myself to a copy later,” he said
dropping his voice. “Just checking up on you. Not that I don’t trust you, but I
don’t trust you, after last time I was in here.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about and I don’t care,”
Dustin said.

“You just better make sure there are no complications,”
Jordan fairly snarled. “Or you’ll be sorry?”

“Like your cousin hanging around or something. You make sure
he’s out of here before I come back. Got it?”

Dustin nodded. Hopefully, Denver was headed to Partners
after work and wouldn’t stick around. He wanted to keep his cousin out of this
as much as possible. He glanced up from where he’d been staring at the floor to
find Jordan regarding him with narrowed eyes.
“What?” Dustin asked, putting as much innocence into his voice as he
could.

Jordan fairly smirked. “That I don’t care about. Guys like
you are easy to find. A cheap piece of ass, nothing more. If I still wanted
you, I’d make you want me too, trust me.”

Dustin didn’t trust him, not as far as he could throw him,
which wasn’t far. But he didn’t want to get into a pissing contest with the
asshole either.

“After tonight, I don’t want to ever see you again. Find
yourself another playmate.” Dustin was surprised at his own nerve.

“We’re through when I say we are.” Jordan grabbed Dustin by
the arms and pulled him close, then pressed their lips together.

Dustin’s first instinct was to push Jordan away, but that
would mean calling unwanted attention to themselves. He was relieved when
Jordan pulled back. Without thinking, Dustin wiped his lips with the back of
his hand.

“Bitch!” Jordan hissed. “Be ready when I come back.” He spun
on his heel and fairly stomped his way out of the store. Dustin thought if he
could have slammed the front door, he probably would have.

He leaned back against the nearest shelf shakily. Jordan was
no one to fuck with, and Dustin didn’t intend to underestimate him.

Please don’t let Roy
get hurt,” he breathed a silent prayer. I
think I love him.

Wednesday, January 3, 2018

Good morning and Happy Hump Day! If it's Wednesday, then it must be time for more flash fiction from the Wednesday Briefers! We're a group of authors who bring you our finest flash fiction every week, 500 to 1000 words, inspired by one of our prompts.

Things are heating up between Roy and Dustin. Looks like they're out in the open now with Lee and Marshall. See what's going on in this week's episode of The Sheriff. Don't forget to visit the other Briefers and see what they're up to! Their links follow my tale!

The Sheriff #45 (11.3)

Roy released Dustin with a contented sigh. “Been wanting to
do that for a while,” he admitted.

“Me too,” Dustin agreed.

“So, how you doing?” Roy asked. He opened up the fridge and
pulled out two bottles of beer which he handed to Dustin before taking out two
more and closing the door. “You feeling okay about tonight? I don’t want you to
have any second thoughts about what we’re doing.”

“I don’t,” Dustin insisted. “I just want it to be over,
that’s all.”

“I can understand that.” Still holding the beers, Roy
circled his arm around Dustin so they could kiss once more, careful not to
press the cold bottles against him. “I want that too, believe you me. Just so
you know, Lee figured out about us already, hope you don’t mind.”

“It’s cool with me if it’s cool with you.” Dustin gave him a
somewhat anxious look which Roy quickly quelled with another kiss.

“They would never judge us, trust me,” he said.

“I do,” Dustin said simply, in a voice that went straight to
Roy’s heart. “I don’t know what I’d do without you, Roy. I’d be in over my head
with no way out.”

The trip back to Tucker Falls went by far too quickly for
Dustin’s taste. He wished they could have hung out with Marshall and Lee a lot
longer. Or, even better, gone back to Roy’s place and spent the rest of the day
in bed. But that wasn’t happening, of course. He had to go in to work, had to
face the music and get through what might just prove to be the longest night of
his life.

He shifted in Roy’s front seat, pressing his leg against
Roy’s in the process. Roy laid his hand
across Dustin’s leg and he relaxed into the sheriff’s warmth.

“Lunch was good,” he said, trying to not think too much
about what was coming. “I thought everything went well.”

“Everything went very well,” Roy agreed. “I’m sure we’ll be
seeing a lot more of them. They’re my two best friends, you know?”

“I know,” Dustin said. He couldn’t help but warm at the way
Roy said we. Made him almost have hope that just maybe they could… He pushed
the thought aside, afraid to jinx whatever it was he was thinking. “So, what’s the plan? You going to wait in
the store ‘til close or what?”

“I can’t afford to have anyone see me,” Roy said with what
sounded like regret. “Don’t want to take a chance on spooking him, you know?
Let him think everything’s going as planned, and when he starts taking stuff
out of the storeroom, I’ll be there and I’ll nab him. I’ll radio the sheriff
and they can take him in.”

Then what? Then we’ll
be done?

Dustin bit back the words that threatened to spill from his
lips. If Roy and him were going to be over after he got Jordan locked up, then
he didn’t want to know now.

As they approached the parking lot of the computer store,
Dustin noticed Denver’s truck was there, but no sign of Kenny’s car. Wonder
what that meant. Oh well, at least he’d
have his cousin to talk to. He started to scoot across the seat, but Roy’s hand
on his arm held him back. He turned and found himself with a mouth full of
sheriff, and for a full minute no words were exchanged. Finally, Roy released
him and straightened up behind the wheel.

“I’ll be watching out for you, count on that,” he said, and
Dustin thrilled at his words.

“See you later,” he managed to choke out, then hurried out
of the truck and into the store.